Control
by DrawnToDarkness
Summary: A seemingly innocent anomaly has consequences for two members of the ARC team. Rated M for a reason. Jess/Becker.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Control  
Author: DrawnToDarkness  
Rating: M  
Pairing: Jess/Becker  
**Content Warnings: Sexual content, adult situations, mild violence, attempted assault.**  
Summary: A seemingly innocent anomaly has consequences for two members of the ARC team.  
Author's Note: Inspired by the classic SG-1 episode 'The Broca Divide' though decidedly more M-rated. If you watched Stargate, you may recognise a name or two in this story.

Please note the warnings above - they are there for a reason.

* * *

The night shift at the ARC was, for the most part, quiet. For some reason, fewer anomalies tended to form in the midnight hours and, while it was strange, Sergeant Keith Harrison was not about to complain. When an anomaly opened three hours into his shift, he stifled a sigh and left the ARC with the rest of the team after making the necessary calls to Captain Becker. Though not on duty himself, the Head of the Security and commanding officer of the military contingent had standing orders to be informed of any anomalies, no matter what time they appeared.

Why, Harrison wasn't sure. He knew for a fact that Jess Parker had set up the ADD to automatically alert Becker, Matt Anderson, James Lester and herself of any anomalies that occurred while they were off duty but the Captain insisted on being personally briefed, too.

Harrison privately thought the other man needed to get a social life of some variety. It surely wasn't healthy for someone to be so focused on their job, no matter how important it was, that they let the little pleasures in life pass them by.

While he was as single as he knew his Captain to be, Harrison didn't let that stop him from having a good time. He had friends and colleagues who were married with the requisite brood of children and, while the idea of having someone to go home to after a long shift did hold some appeal, he was mostly happy to play the dating game. That was why he preferred working the day shift, no matter that there were more anomalies to deal with.

Having a social life was easier when you weren't going to work when everyone else was getting ready to go out and let their hair down.

Still, the night shift had some perks, which was why he never complained when he received his monthly rota. The relative peace and quiet being one; the decrease in paperwork as a result was another.

Driving to the site, he heard the stand-in Field Co-ordinator, Lieutenant Ford, announce that the anomaly was still quiet with no sign of any incursion. Harrison heard someone on his team breathe a sigh of relief and bit back one of his own. If an incursion happened, they'd deal with it – they were more than able to, in no small part thanks to the vigorous training regime set by their Captain and the team leader – but he agreed with whichever teammate it had been that any anomaly without an incursion was something to be relieved about.

When they made it to the site without any further updates, Harrison felt the knot of tension in his stomach uncoil. He gave his men their orders, knowing it was unnecessary even as he did, and picked up the locking device himself before heading towards the anomaly.

Really, they were quite attractive to look at. The golden lights could actually be quite pretty – if you didn't know what dangers hid behind them. If it weren't for the questions it would undeniable garner, he thought a photograph of an anomaly, blown up and framed appropriately, might make for a nice piece of art…

Lost in his musings, he didn't notice the strange vapour at first, oozing out of the anomaly. It wasn't until he knelt down next to the device to lock it that he started coughing and realised the mist covering the ground wasn't a natural occurrence.

Not in this time, anyway.

He covered his mouth with one hand, locked the anomaly with the other. When he stood, he felt a little light-headed but managed to shake it off before anyone noticed.

"Ford, can I get an affirmative that you didn't see anything come through the anomaly?"

"Affirmative, Sarge." Lieutenant Ford didn't hesitate. "I've rewound the footage, watched it through from the moment it opened. There is no incursion."

"Roger that." Harrison turned to one of his men, motioning for them to stand guard. "We'll stay till it closes, then we'll head back unless there's another one."

"Yes, Sir."

When he looked again, the vapour had vanished. Relaxing, he moved to lean against the ARC truck, ready to settle in and wait.

It was just mist, he told himself. Nothing to worry about, and certainly not worth alarming anyone.

* * *

Working at the ARC had made her into a morning person. Before she'd got the job as Field Co-ordinator, Jess Parker had liked to lie in on a morning, staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, making shapes out of the shadows caused by the light seeping in from around the curtains. It reminded her of being a little girl, lying on her back on the grass and making shapes out of the clouds above.

That had changed since she'd been appointed at the ARC. She loved her job – _loved_ it. And it wasn't just because there was a certain person she looked forward to seeing every day, either. The job itself was both challenging (sometimes not so pleasantly) and interesting. Her days were never boring. Her colleagues, both those that made up the main team and those who didn't, were genuinely lovely people, and made working together a pleasant experience.

So it was with a bright smile and a bounce in her step that Jess arrived for work on Friday morning, well before her shift was due to begin. She exchanged pleasantries with the normally stoic soldier on the security checkpoint, counting herself victorious when he returned her smile and wished her a good day, and continued on through the maze of corridors towards the hub.

She loved getting there before shift change, loved having the opportunity to see those leaving for the day and those just getting there. She was a friendly person, a caring person, and liked to make sure that those she worked with were okay or see if there was something she could do to make their jobs just a little bit easier.

Turning the corner to walk along the corridor leading to the locker room, a small noise of surprise escaped her as she walked into something – someone – rather than the empty space she'd been anticipating. Recovering her balance quickly, she looked up, a smile on her face when she saw Sergeant Harrison standing there.

"Morning, Keith," she greeted him warmly, "or, rather, good night, for you. Just finishing the nightshift?"

"What?" It took a few moments for the Sergeant to focus on her face. His eyes were distracted, distant, and Jess noticed a thin sheen of sweat causing the skin of his face to shine. "Oh. Yeah. Morning." His eyes locked with hers as he spoke. A glint appeared in their green depths, and his expression shifted subtly as his gaze wandered over her speculatively. "Jess."

Taking an involuntary step back, a frown marring her brow, Jess stared at him in concern. "Are you feeling alright, Keith? You don't look very well."

Harrison blinked, the glint and the expression disappearing in an instant. He ran a hand through his sandy blond hair and gave her the familiar boyish grin she knew without a doubt was responsible for winning him more than a few admirers amongst their colleagues. "I'm fine. Tired," he corrected, "but that's to be expected."

"Was it a busy night?" She asked, concern still clear in her voice. "I know there was an anomaly but Lieutenant Ford said there was no incursion?"

"No, it was a good one. As good as they get," he added with a shrug. "Just feels like it's been a long night, that's all."

"Then you'll be glad it's over," Jess commented companionably, stepping aside so he could pass by her. "Go and get some sleep. But if you're not feeling okay later, call in sick, okay? It's better to be safe than sorry, especially in this line of work."

Harrison grinned at her again, turning up the charm. "Sound words of advice, Miss Parker." He winked at her and started to move past her. "Though if I do call in sick, I'll be telling the Captain it was on your say so."

"You do that." Jess bit her bottom lip in an unsuccessful attempt to keep from smiling just at the thought of Captain Becker. "I'll fight your corner for you," she promised with a laugh, waving at him as she continued on towards the locker rooms, ready to face the rest of the day.

* * *

By mid afternoon, Jess had forgotten all about her early morning meeting with Sergeant Harrison. Two anomaly alerts, one with an incursion and one without, had seen to it that she'd been kept busy enough to completely miss lunch – something she didn't realise until her empty stomach decided to protest quite loudly.

She felt her cheeks flood with warmth as she pressed a hand to her stomach, glancing around to see if anyone was within earshot. The colour in her cheeks deepened when she noticed the corners of Captain Becker's mouth twitch and she hurriedly moved her gaze back to the ADD screens before he could look up.

After five minutes passed without comment, she managed to convince herself that her stomach hadn't really growled _that_ loudly and that he hadn't heard it, which made her feel better for another five minutes, until movement out of the corner of her eye made her jump. Seconds later, while her heart was still pounding erratically in her chest, an arm snaked past her and a plate with half a sandwich on it was set down on the desk next to her keyboard.

Surprised, Jess blinked, half-expecting it to disappear as though it was a figment of her imagination. When it didn't disappear, she twisted in her chair, looking up at the person who'd put it there. "Thank you."

Becker gave her a quick, almost embarrassed grin as he turned away from her without saying a word, heading back to his work station where the other half of the sandwich waited for him. With a pretty pink flush on her cheeks, Jess turned back to her computer and her late lunch, a smile she couldn't fight on her face.

A short time later, Becker finished his report on the morning's anomalies and passed it to Jess to be processed along with the others before she in turn would pass it to Lester. As he no longer had a reason to linger in Ops, he gave her a quick smile before leaving for the armoury, missing the sigh that escaped her when she was left alone.

Ordinarily, the lack of company didn't bother her – not that she was ever truly alone for long. There was always a stray scientist or technician milling around, and Lester was just a short distance away in his office with the glass walls, but there were days when Jess wished her work station didn't mean she had to have her back to the rest of the room. Days when she wished she could leave it and go and visit with one of the other members of the team.

Telling herself she could catch up with Abby and Emily later when her shift was over, she started getting to work on collating the reports that had been left on her desk from both the night and day shift.

* * *

He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat.

He couldn't stop thinking about her.

The way she'd felt brushed up against him, the sparkle in her eyes and the smile on her face.

The way she smelt.

His hands clenched into fists, sweat pouring off him as he tried in vain to reign in the impulses coursing through him.

He needed to see her.

Touch her.

Taste her.

_Claim_ her.

The rational side of his brain fought against his body's demands, knowing somewhere that it wasn't right, that she wasn't his. That side of his brain lost as images filled his mind, vivid and tempting, causing his blood to heat and his heart to pound erratically.

The need he felt was almost painful, the desire a thirst that was impossible to quench.

The primal instincts took over quickly and he found himself driving back to the ARC in search of his would-be mate.

* * *

Chapter two coming soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Her spirits were high as she headed towards the locker room at the end of her shift. Connor had volunteered to cover the ADD mid-afternoon, allowing her to meet Abby and Emily for a late coffee break in the canteen, which had made for a very enjoyable twenty minutes as the three women had played catch-up and discussed plans for Abby's upcoming wedding.

Though they worked together, busy days with anomaly alerts left for little time to socialise and enjoy spending time together. With Abby's wedding on the horizon and Emily's relationship with Matt growing more and more serious, they seemed to have a lot to talk about but not a lot of time in which to do it. Before they left the canteen and went their separate ways, they made plans to meet up for a girl's afternoon on Sunday – anomaly alerts notwithstanding.

She was looking forward to it. She was also looking forward to a lazy Saturday, if work allowed. She had no plans whatsoever, just a quiet day doing necessary household chores before curling up with a good book and her favourite playlist.

It might sound like a boring weekend to some but she honestly got enough excitement at work to not need much at a weekend. Unless, of course, a certain head of Security happened to ask her to spend the weekend with him... Now that was a kind of excitement she would have gladly accepted. She wouldn't necessarily care what they did; if Becker was willing to spend time with her outside of work...

So engrossed in her little daydream, Jess didn't realise she wasn't alone in the locker room until she heard a noise that was almost like a growl behind her. She froze, certain that when she turned away from her locker, it would be to find one of the creatures from the menagerie had escaped.

She was relieved for only a few seconds when she turned around and found the thing that growled wasn't a creature at all.

"Sergeant Harrison?"

The man staring back at her didn't respond to his name. He took a step forward, advancing on her. Jess instinctively took a step away from him in return, her back pressing against her locker door. His eyes were dark, predatory.

Hungry.

As if reading the thought as it crossed her mind, Harrison licked his lips.

"Jess." His voice was hoarse, guttural. He continued towards her, stalking her. "Mine."

Jumping when he put a hand on the lockers either side of her, effectively pinning her in place, Jess narrowed her eyes and stared at him. Fear made her heart race, her palms begin to sweat. "Keith? You... You don't look very well. Maybe we should get you to medical..."

Her breath caught in her throat when he dropped his head to her shoulder, a shudder going through her when his tongue darted out to lick the skin of her neck. She shook herself mentally, moved her hands to his chest to push him away but he didn't budge.

"Mine," he repeated, lips moving up her neck towards her jaw.

"No." She pushed against him but Harrison only chuckled against her skin, moving his own arms to wrap them around her in a crushing embrace. Thumping his chest the best she could, Jess felt panic bubble up in her chest. "Keith, stop it. Get off me."

"You're mine, Jess." When she tried to turn her head away, he lifted one hand to her face, grasping her chin in a bruising grip as he held her where he wanted her. He pressed his mouth against hers in an aggressive kiss, growling his discontent when she refused to part her lips and kiss him back. "My Jess."

A whimper escaped her but that only seemed to please him. He slid a leg between hers, pressing her body into the lockers as she tried to free her mouth so she could cry out, either for help or for him to stop. Tears burned her eyes and ran freely down her cheeks as he used his superior strength and weight and his skill as a soldier to overpower her.

She squeezed her eyes shut when his hands began to wander, trying to evade his kiss and break free while desperately hoping someone – anyone – would wander into the locker room and see what was going on.

Her prayers were answered after five minutes of pure torture.

Her blouse was ripped, her hair falling freely around her face after Harrison pulled the hair clip keeping it up out and cast it aside. Her eyes were sore from her tears, her lips bruised from the insistent kisses she refused to return.

When Harrison was pulled away from her, it took her a few seconds longer to open her eyes, convinced she was imagining things.

"Jess?" Becker's voice reached her through the screams echoing around in her mind. The touch of his hand on her cheek, though soft, made her flinch until she opened her eyes, blinking when she realised it really was him standing in front of her.

Before she could respond to the concern in his eyes, before she could give in to the urge to throw herself into his arms and cling to him for dear life, Becker was yanked away from her.

Harrison growled again, an inhumane sound, as he attacked his Captain viciously.

Jess cried out, pressing a hand to her mouth as she stared with wide, disbelieving eyes as the two men began to fight in front of her. It was only when Harrison landed a good punch on Becker's jaw, momentarily stunning the Head of Security, and began to advance towards her again that she pulled herself out of the state of shock she was sinking into.

Darting away from his grabbing hands even as Becker regained his footing and reached for Harrison again to keep him from reaching her, Jess lifted her hand to ear before remembering she was no longer wearing her comm. link. She ran to the intercom and alarm system affixed to the wall near the door and hit it so hard her palm stung.

Her voice shook as she called for help, a hysterical edge to it she couldn't contain.

Within minutes, the locker room was swarming with soldiers. Matt and Emily, having heard the alarms just as they'd been about to leave for the evening, arrived on the scene mere seconds after, just in time to see Becker's men struggling to contain Harrison as he fought them tooth and nail.

The Sergeant snarled and hissed, and struggled with the men holding him back.

Keeping him away from Jess.

He became more enraged when Becker, bloody and bruised from their fight, deliberately stepped between him and Jess, blocking Harrison's view of her.

"Get him out of here." Turning his back dismissively on the Sergeant, Becker wiped blood from his mouth as he fixed his gaze on the dishevelled Field Co-ordinator. He moved towards her cautiously, reaching out a hand as though he wasn't sure how she would react. "Jess."

She stared at him for a moment, eyes wide and bottom lip trembling. Then she all but threw herself at him, burying her face against his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her tightly, holding her as she shook uncontrollably.

Matt stood guard at the locker room door as the soldiers filed out of it. He watched through concerned eyes as Emily approached, putting her hand on Jess's shoulder in solidarity. It was some time before Jess had composed herself enough to pull away and even then, Matt thought he saw a trace of reluctance on Becker's face when the soldier realised he had to loosen his hold to let her.

"Come with me now, Jess," Emily coaxed, her smile soft and friendly but her dark eyes expressing her worry for the younger woman. "We'll get you cleaned up and to the medical bay so they can look you over."

"I'm fine." Jess wrapped her arms around her middle to try and stop the shudders causing her slender frame to shake. Her smile was weak at best, her eyes too wide and too blue against the ghostly pallor of her face. "I just want to go home."

"You can." Emily kept her voice soothing, wrapping an arm around Jess's shaking shoulders. "Once you've been checked over. Please, Jess. Just humour me?"

She hesitated for a moment but eventually allowed Emily to lead her from the locker room, her eyes downcast as she did her best to blend in to her surroundings.

Minutes after the door swung shut behind them, there was a thud as Becker's already bloody and bruised fist made contact with the innocent door of a locker.

"That's answers my question of whether you're okay," Matt commented wryly, arching an eyebrow when the soldier turned to face him. "Come on, mate. You need to get checked over, too."

"I'm fine." Unconsciously repeating Jess's words, Becker shrugged Matt's hand from his shoulder, his eyes dark and cold. "What I need to do is talk to Harrison and find out what the hell he was thinking."

"I don't think you're the best person to do that." Matt moved to block the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. "Not until you've had a chance to calm down," he added at the scowl on the Captain's face. "You won't be helping anyone if you go and see him right now. Least of all Jess."

An anguished expression passed over Becker's features for a brief second at the mention of the Field Co-ordinator. "He tried to... He attacked her."

Matt's hands clenched, his jaw tightening for a moment. "And he'll regret that," he said simply, reigning in his own protective instincts where the young woman was concerned. "I promise he's not going to get away with anything."

After a long moment of silence, Becker gave a short nod of agreement and allowed Matt to escort him to the medical bay.

* * *

"Infected?" Jess tightened her arms around her middle and looked at the Head Medic of the ARC's medical bay. "Am I... Could I be infected, too?"

The doctor, a woman called Isabelle Fraiser, gave her a reassuring smile. "We're running tests, Jess, but it looks like you're okay. We don't know if it is transmittable from person to person. It's certainly not airborne, which means if it is contagious, it would be transferred through the exchange of bodily fluids..." The doctor trailed off, remembering how Jess had come to be her patient. Her reassuring smile faded into a look of concern, her green gaze flickering to Lester. "We've sedated the Sergeant and I've sent a team of medics and security staff to the homes of the other members of his team. Sergeant Harrison's blood tests revealed not only an unknown organism but extraordinarily high levels of testosterone, which I believe is responsible for his... for the change in character."

"And you believe that it the result of this virus?" Lester frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. He glanced towards the Field Co-ordinator sitting on the edge of a gurney and did his best to conceal the concern in his voice. "You're sure Miss Parker is uninfected?"

"Reasonably sure. With Jess's permission, I'll run some more tests but my team and I believe she should be fine. The virus seems to have a greater affect on men than women. From what we've been able to establish, it causes the body to go into overdrive where the production of hormones are concerned. The unknown organism combined with the increased hormones seems to have an almost aphrodisiac affect. When I examined Sergeant Harrison, he seemed almost feral, driven in his need to... well, mate, for want of a better word. When he was prevented from doing so, he became aggressive towards the person responsible for preventing him from achieving his goal, again a symptom of far too much testosterone. At the moment, Jess's test results are within normal ranges, but I'd like to continue to monitor her condition..."

"Does that mean I have to stay here?" Jess interrupted, sitting up a little straighter. Her eyes flickered to the curtain surrounding the bed where Sergeant Harrison lay, restrained and sedated, hooked up to various machines. "I'm not staying. I want to go home."

Fraiser's smile was understanding, her eyes sympathetic. "I would prefer you to stay, Jess, at least overnight. Give us time to make sure you're okay."

"I..." Jess bit her lip, glancing at the others for the first time. "Do I really have to?" Her voice was quiet, almost pleading. Her gaze drifted over Becker, Matt and Emily and focused on Lester. "I don't... I just want to go home."

Lester was able to hold her gaze for a moment, before a sigh escaped him and his attention refocused on the doctor. "How long will it take you to run the necessary tests and ensure she's not going to be affected by this virus?"

"And get the results?" Fraiser shrugged a shoulder. "We've got our own lab here and it's our top priority so... a couple of hours? We should know pretty soon whether or not she's going to show signs of infection."

"I'm sure we've got another room Sergeant Harrison can be moved to in the meantime." Nodding at the doctor, Lester glanced at Jess before turning to Becker. "You'll take care of the security arrangements?"

Becker nodded, his arms folded over his chest and his expression unreadable. "Of course."

"Now, I understand your reluctance to stay, Jess, but, given the circumstances, I think it would be best if you do. Just for a few hours," Lester added, holding up his hand when Jess opened her mouth to protest. "When Doctor Fraiser has had a chance to review your results, you'll be free to go and spend the weekend as you see fit. I don't want to see you back here until Monday morning, anomaly or no anomaly."

Her lack of enthusiasm for the idea was clear to see but Jess gave her boss a grudging nod. "Just until the results come back."

"I will stay with you," Emily volunteered, casting a quick apologetic glance at Matt that their plans for the evening would have to be put on hold.

"You don't have to do that." Jess managed a wan smile. "I'll be okay. It's just a few hours."

"We'll stay." Matt's tone was deceptively calm. "When Doctor Fraiser can confirm this thing isn't contagious, I'll relax. Until then, we're not going anywhere. None of us are."

"Should we call Abby and Connor?" Emily wondered aloud. "They've already gone home..."

Matt shook his head before Lester could answer. "They've had no contact with Harrison or his team. We'll leave them be for now."

"If we are dealing with a contagion, do you have any idea how we can cure it? The last thing we need is for the ARC staff to start behaving like a bunch of Neanderthals." Lester sniffed derisively. "God knows _some_ of the soldiers already do."

Becker didn't respond to the bait, looking instead towards Doctor Fraiser as she shook her head.

"The only physical side effect of the illness seems to be an increase in testosterone. There is no cure for an overdose of the hormone; given time, it will be naturally excreted from the body on its own. We're going to keep Sergeant Harrison sedated until that happens. I'd estimated that'll be anywhere between twenty-four and forty-eight hours given the current levels."

Lester grimaced. "Is there no way to help speed along the process?"

"Short of letting him give in to his urges, no." Doctor Fraiser's tone was blunt.

Jess flinched at the words, dropping her head so she wouldn't have to look at anyone. Matt glanced at Becker as Emily crossed to sit at Jess's side, noting the tension in his shoulders and the flash of _something _in his eyes.

"Well, that's obviously out of the question," Lester responded just as bluntly. "We'll just have to let nature take its course, I suppose..."

"Why me?" Jess's quiet question caught the others by surprise. "If you're theorising that the virus is somehow driving Harrison to want to... mate... Why me? He wasn't even at the ARC today. He could've easily found someone else."

There was a moment of silence as they contemplated the question.

"You said you saw him first thing this morning?" Matt asked eventually, brow furrowed in consideration.

Jess nodded, biting her lip as she glanced up at the team leader. "We bumped into each other. He was leaving, I was just getting here."

"And you thought he looked unwell?"

Miserable, Jess nodded again. "He said he was just tired."

"It was probably the early onset of the virus." Matt ran a hand through his hair. "There are no women currently on the nightshift. It's possible you're the first female he saw after being infected and therefore he fixated on you. It would explain why he came back here, and why he sought you out the way he did."

A shiver worked its way along her spine. "And if it doesn't go away on its own? What... what then?"

"We have no reason to believe it won't," Doctor Fraiser was quick to reassure her. "And if doesn't, we'll figure something out. My team is already working on it."

"But you can't keep Keith sedated indefinitely. And if I am infected, if I start acting like that..." Horror dawned on her even as her pale cheeks grew red. "Sedation isn't viable as a long-term solution, is it?"

Fraiser shook her head. "No, it isn't. But it's our only option at the moment, Jess, but I promise you, we will find another way if we have to."

Emily wrapped a supportive arm around Jess's shoulders. "You are going to be okay," she told her friend seriously, her tone making it clear that nothing else would be acceptable. "You'll see."

Jess leaned into her and closed her eyes, not arguing with the older woman but not agreeing with her either.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you to those reading/reviewing - it's appreciated, especially as I know this is a little bit (okay, a lot!) different to my usual stuff. I'll revert back to the regular style when this is out of my system, I promise._

_And note - sexual situations ahead for our favourite couple so if you're under age or don't like that stuff, please use this as your cue to stop reading._

* * *

Two hours later, and Jess appeared to be fine.

Becker, however, was not.

He was trying to hide it, trying to disguise it, but Matt noticed the tension radiating off the soldier in waves and eventually took him to one side.

"You're infected." Matt stated it matter-of-factly, crossing his arms over his chest as Becker paced the armoury floor. He sighed when Becker didn't deny it. "Alright. We need to get you to the med bay, have Doc Fraiser look you over."

"No. I don't need... I'm fine. I can control it." Becker's hands clenched into fists though Matt wasn't sure he was aware of it. "I am not like _Harrison_," the Captain all but spat the name, barely restrained rage and disgust in his voice. "I'm _not_ going to attack Jess."

"Jess?" Matt arched an eyebrow but otherwise held himself still. "You're feeling... It's Jess you want?"

Becker didn't dignify the question with a verbal response, choosing to throw the team leader a look instead.

Even though Matt didn't voice it aloud, Becker knew the direction his thoughts were taking.

Harrison, single, had fixated on Jess because she was the first female he'd seen post-infection. The three members of his team, McKay, Jackson and O'Neill, were all in serious relationships and had fixated on their partners. While McKay was in quarantine with his girlfriend, a member of the admin team at the ARC, Jackson and O'Neill had been allowed to remain at home after the situation had been explained to their other halves. As their partners had been willing, it was decided to let the virus run its course naturally though all involved were being monitored by Doctor Fraiser and her team.

For Becker to be thinking about Jess, to have focused on her...

"You haven't seen Jess since Fraiser kicked us all out of the med bay," Matt pointed out quietly. "You were fine then, and you've been with me and Emily ever since."

Becker scowled at him. "What's your point?"

"My point is that if it was proximity causing you to... have these urges... about someone, it should logically be Emily, not Jess. Unless..." Matt stared at Becker appraisingly. "On a subconscious level, you see Jess as being your mate. I mean, it's not unexpected." He shrugged when Becker only continued to glare at him. "Out of all of the women you see most on a daily basis, Jess is the only one that's available. Assuming, of course, that it is women you go for, which we can safely assume it is in this case..."

"It's not because she's the only one that's available," Becker ground out, his eyes growing darker.

"Yeah. I kind of suspected." Matt nodded slowly. "I just never thought I'd see the day you actually acknowledged you have feelings for her." The team leader's expression softened at the visible strain on Becker's face. "I know you hate being seen to have lost control, mate, but I think it'd be best if we got you to the med bay. If we don't act now..."

"I'm not going to hurt her. And I'm not going to be treated like a lab rat." He'd never forgive himself for the former, and the latter, while the sensible option, would be humiliating for a man with as much pride as Becker. For his men to see him that way, to know he'd lost control and been reduced to nothing short of an animal with no ability to reign in his urges... "I'll go home. You can revoke my security access, make sure I can't get back in."

Matt frowned. "Fraiser said the two options are sedation or to let the virus run its course. It's too dangerous to let you leave, Becker. You might be able to stop yourself from hurting someone else but the damage you could do to yourself..."

The look on Becker's face suggested he'd rather that than any of the alternatives. "I'll be fine," he said instead, dismissing Matt's concerns. "Call me if anything happens with Jess."

"Becker..."

The Head of Security ignored him, striding out of the armoury and leaving Matt to stare after him, a frown on his face.

* * *

Finally given the all-clear from Doctor Fraiser, Jess was looking forward to heading home and running a long, hot shower to wash away the memories of the day. While she couldn't blame Harrison for what he'd done, she still felt sick to her stomach when she thought what might have happened had Becker not interrupted.

Thinking of Becker and what he'd walked in on made her cheeks burn but Jess squared her shoulders, determined to find him and thank him for his help.

Instead of finding Becker in the armoury, she found Matt and Emily, the couple deeply engrossed in conversation punctuated with animated hand gestures and exasperated expressions. Jess lingered at the doorway, not wanting to intrude if they were having a lover's tiff, but caught a few words of the conversation and found herself interrupting regardless.

"Becker's infected?" She took a few steps towards them but couldn't go any further, her knees suddenly feeling weak. "How?" Emily and Matt exchanged a look, almost as though they were considering whether to lie to her and say she'd misheard them. The pause gave her time to get her thoughts under control and her eyes widened. "The fight? They were both bleeding... Keith spat at him... Oh, God. Where is he? Is he in the med bay?"

"He's... not in the med bay." Emily gave Matt a disapproving look. "Matt let him go home."

"I didn't _let_ him." Matt rolled his eyes at Emily's accusation. "He was pretty adamant it's what he wanted."

"You could have had him detained, stopped at the security checkpoint." Emily threw her hands up in exasperation. "And now you're dragging your feet when we should be sending a team to get him before he hurts someone..."

"He's not going to hurt anyone," Matt objected. "That's the whole reason he wanted to leave. So he _wouldn't _hurt..." His voice trailed off but his gaze flickered momentarily to Jess, making the Field Co-ordinator take a step back in surprise.

"He left so he wouldn't hurt who?"

Ignoring Jess's question, Emily continued to glare at Matt. "Regardless of why he left, he should be brought back immediately and sedated so Doctor Fraiser can monitor his condition..."

"He left so he wouldn't hurt who, Matt?" Jess took a step closer, her gaze fixed firmly on the team leader.

Ignoring the warning glance Emily threw in his direction, Matt reluctantly answered Jess. "He left so he wouldn't hurt _you_, Jess."

The Field Co-ordinator stopped again. "Me? But... I haven't seen him in hours... He was with you and Emily so shouldn't he... I mean..."

"I don't think it needs to be said why Becker has focused on you, Jess." Matt ran a hand through his hair. "What we need to decide is what we're going to do about his leaving. He was adamant that he didn't want to stay."

"It isn't something he has a choice in!" Emily objected. "He is a danger to himself, Matt, if he is not sedated..."

"He'd hate that." Jess wrapped her arms around her middle. "He'd find it embarrassing, a sign of weakness."

Emily shook her head. "It is not a sign of weakness to be infected by a virus you have no control over."

"For Becker, not being able to control his responses to it would be." Jess bit her lip, looking anywhere but at the two people watching her carefully. "If he doesn't go down the sedation route, and he doesn't... what will happen to him?"

"Fraiser theorised that anyone infected who doesn't seek treatment or let themselves give in to the virus might end up hurting themselves instead. The unknown organism coupled with the testosterone..." Matt grimaced. "She thinks it might be enough to drive someone crazy."

"Does she know about Becker?"

"No. No one does." Matt shrugged a shoulder when she arched an eyebrow at him. "Okay, only you, me and Emily. And Becker, of course."

Jess nodded and exhaled slowly as she squared her shoulders. "Then no one else will."

Emily's eyes widened and she looked from the younger woman to the man standing beside her. "Jess?"

"He's saved us, me, so many times before." Jess shrugged and met Emily's gaze. "He deserves to be saved, too."

"You don't have to..." Emily waved her hand to illustrate her point, shaking her head in disbelief. "You were just attacked..."

"It's Becker, Emily. It's different."

The Victorian took a step closer to Jess, her expression imploring and eyes shimmering with sympathy. "He won't necessarily be the man you think he is. Harrison..."

"I'm not in love with Harrison." Her cheeks flushed even as she said it but Jess managed to hold her friend's gaze. "I can't... I can't let him suffer, Emily, either alone or by being brought back here against his will."

"So you're going to... _Jess_..." Emily looked to Matt for support but the team leader only shrugged and fixed his gaze onto Jess. "That is no way to start a relationship."

"It's not starting a relationship. It's saving his life. We can..." Jess cleared her throat, mimicking her friend by waving her hand dismissively. "We can forget all about it after. You two can pretend you know nothing about it and..."

"He won't go for it." Matt spoke up for the first time since Jess had made her intention clear. "He won't let you do this."

"He will if he thinks it's me who needs it. If he thinks I'm infected, too." Jess held her head high and looked at them both, a challenging glint in her eyes. "If it was either of you, would the other hesitate?" The couple exchanged an awkward glance but couldn't say that they would. "I know what I'm doing. _Really_. Emily, I'll see you on Sunday as planned."

She turned on her heel and strode out of the armoury, the sound of Emily's voice calling her name and the low murmur of Matt's voice telling Emily to let her go following her out of the room.

If her hands were shaking when she slipped behind the wheel of her car, Jess refused to acknowledge it. She did know what she was doing.

She just wasn't convinced it would help.

* * *

The flat was dark and quiet.

It wasn't helping.

The little voice in the back of his head, driven by the virus, was telling him he needed to go. That he needed to find Jess.

And it _had_ to be Jess.

For a split second, Becker had considered making a call to an ex-girlfriend, or maybe heading to one of the local bars. He'd dismissed both thoughts within moments, knowing that neither would work.

Knowing that no one but Jess would do.

Damn it.

He didn't want to hurt her, either by finding someone else or... He gritted his teeth, pulled at his hair with clenched fists and felt a bead of sweat drip down the side of his face.

_No_.

Jess was safe. She was at the ARC, and she was safe.

Away from him.

He prayed that Matt had listened to him and had revoked his security clearance just in case he wasn't strong enough...

Just in case...

The knock at the door was hesitant at first, growing stronger when he ignored it.

He couldn't see anyone. Didn't want anyone to see him like this. Didn't know how he'd respond to seeing anyone who wasn't her.

"Becker? Becker, it's me. It's Jess."

The sound that escaped him was anguished. Part growl, part snarl, his head whipped up to look at the closed door even as his hands dropped to his knees, fists so tight he could feel his short fingernails digging into the flesh of his palms, drawing blood.

"Please open the door. I... I need to see you."

"Go away." It was barely a whisper, far too quiet for her to hear through the closed door. Becker squeezed his eyes shut and did his best to ignore the instincts screaming at him to let her in. "Please, Jess. Please go away."

There was silence for a moment and relief washed over the non-infected part of him, believing she'd decided to leave. That relief was dashed a few moments later when he heard the click of the lock and felt a slight breeze against his heated skin as the front door to his flat was pushed open.

While one part of his brain was trying to come to terms with the fact that Jess knew how to pick locks, the other was suddenly consumed with the scent of her, the sound of her unsteady breathing and hesitant footsteps as the door was closed and the lock turned.

Locking her, trapping her inside with him and the animal he was rapidly becoming.

"Go. Away." He ground out the words, refusing to let himself look at her. "Please. Jess."

"I can't." Her voice was quiet but he could tell from her breathing that she was getting closer. "I need..." There was a hint of nerves in her voice, a tremor she couldn't disguise. "Becker. Look at me."

"No." He kept his head bowed even as his nostrils flared. He could smell her perfume and the delicate fragrance that was distinctively _Jess_. "You have to leave, Jess. You have to get out of here _now_."

"I can't." Jess crouched down in front of him, her hands trembling as she let them rest over his own so she could keep her balance as she peered up at him. "After you left... I started... I'm infected, Becker, and it's driving me crazy. And I know I should've stayed at the ARC but I... I couldn't... I just want... I need..."

There were tears in her voice and in her eyes. Becker lifted his head to look at her, watching her eyes widen when she got her first glimpse of him. He bit back a groan when her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, his hands slipping out from beneath hers.

He reached for her, needing to touch her, but hesitated, the internal war he'd been fighting all night raging on.

"I..." It was his turn to lick his suddenly dry lips, closing the gap between them to touch her cheek softly with a hand he couldn't quite keep steady. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't." She said it quietly, confidently, with a small smile and a look in her eyes that told him she trusted him implicitly.

The part of his mind that hadn't submitted to the virus was both touched and dismayed. She had so much faith in him, so much trust. He didn't want to do anything that would cause that to change or diminish in any way but couldn't... Not when she was so close...

With a groan, he snaked his other hand to the back of her head and pulled her close, pressing his mouth to hers. She parted her lips with a sigh he felt more than heard, leaning into him, her eyes slipping shut though not before a single tear slid from beneath her eyelid.

He'd make it up to her, he promised in a distant part of his mind. He got to his feet, pulling her with him roughly, needing to feel the softness of her curves against the hard planes of his body. His arms wound around her tightly, banishing any space between them, and a low growl escaped him as she lifted her arms to wrap them around his neck.

Becker broke the kiss to lick his way along the slender line of her throat, lingering over her pulse point. His teeth grazed her sensitive skin, drawing a gasp from her when he nipped a little too hard. In retaliation, Jess tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled, hard, forcing him to lift his head.

A warning snarl escaped him but she didn't seem to care. Instead, she pulled him closer, kissing him again. When her teeth nipped at his bottom lip, the thin barrier of restraint Becker had been holding onto broke and he gripped her hips hard enough to know he'd leave bruises, lifting her so she had no choice but to wrap her legs around him and hold on.

There was no time for finesse, little time for much else but to satisfy the urges threatening to consume him. He carried her to his room by memory, unwilling and unable to stop kissing her, tasting her, touching her, long enough to pull away.

By the time they made it to the bedroom, the shirt she'd borrowed from Emily was torn away, her bra not faring any better. He pressed her against the wall of his room and left a trail of biting kisses from her mouth to her chest, teeth grazing the sensitive peak of one breast as his thumb and finger tormented the other into hardening further. Jess arched her back, fingers gripping the back of his head through his hair.

He could feel her heat, her softness. Hear her soft cries and breathless moans. Taste the sweat on her skin. She was everywhere, all around him, and the primal need inside him revelled in it.

It was almost too much, and still nowhere near enough.

He needed her. Wanted her. _Had_ to claim her and mark her and make her his.

She was _his_.

He pinned her with his body, his hands busily tugging at her remaining clothes, tearing them away when he couldn't remove them easily. Dimly, at the back of his mind, he thought he might have heard her protest when her skirt almost became a casualty of his urgency but he couldn't bring himself to care.

His own clothes received a similar treatment until at last, there was nothing separating their heated skin.

Becker snarled against the skin of her shoulder, pushing into her in one smooth snap of his spine. He heard her cry out, felt her nails dig into the flesh of his back hard enough to leave marks but didn't stop.

Couldn't stop.

Relentlessly, he drove himself into her, again and again, the sensation of her heat around him too much.

Still not enough.

His tongue darted out to lick the sweaty skin beneath his mouth, seconds before he sunk his teeth into her shoulder. Jess made a startled sound but didn't try to push him away as he branded her, marked her as his, sucking the flesh so it would bruise.

He felt her hips begin to jerk against his, felt her muscles clench around him, and growled in satisfaction.

As Jess sagged against the wall, arms loosely wrapped around him, Becker continued to thrust steadily inside her, a guttural sound that could've been her name torn from his throat as his own release struck.

"Mine," he panted, lifting his head from her shoulder to kiss his way back up to her lips. "My Jess. _Jessica_."

"Yours." Her eyes were shining, her lips swollen, when he pulled back to look at her. The smile she gave him was tremulous at best but there was no glimmer of regret in her eyes, no sign of the betrayal he'd been afraid of seeing. "Only yours."

The animal inside him howled silently in triumph. Becker leaned in to kiss her again, struggling against the virus to keep it soft and sweet as opposed to hard and demanding. When he was sure his legs would support both his weight and hers, he carried her the rest of the way to the bed, laying her on the mattress and following her down as he felt his body begin to stir again inside her.

Thrusting lightly, he was rewarded with a slight moan from Jess, who lifted her hand to the back of his neck, drawing him down so she could kiss him tenderly. "Let go," she whispered against his mouth, "I'm not going to break, Becker."

He wasn't sure if that was the truth but was powerless against his own desires if it wasn't.

* * *

_Only two more parts, then I promise: back to regular non-M rated Jecker stories from me :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_With thanks to PrimevalYank & PrawnCrackers x_

* * *

When she woke up for the second time, it was to find a warm and heavy weight around her waist, holding her firmly against his chest. Jess glanced at the clock on the bedside cabinet, eyes widening when she realised it was late on Saturday afternoon.

They hadn't made it out of the bedroom and, while she was exhausted and her muscles were aching after being overused after, well, _years_ of not being used in certain ways, she couldn't bring herself to leave. Not until she was sure he was over the infection and on the way to being the Becker she knew and loved.

After the third time of being together, she'd thought maybe he was over the worst. He'd been careful with her, gentle, almost tender. He'd kissed and stroked and soothed every inch of her until she'd been the one almost begging him for more. They'd fallen asleep wrapped around each other, contented, and Jess had woken a few hours later and slipped out of his arms to use the bathroom, unable to put it off any longer.

His reaction to waking up and finding her gone had told her he was still at the mercy of the virus coursing through his veins, as did the very thorough and quite desperate way he'd welcomed her back into his bed.

It was hugely flattering, in a way, to be the one he wanted to be with, but Jess couldn't help but worry about the affect their newfound knowledge of each other was going to have on their relationship. She knew it was no secret that she had feelings for the Captain – she was even quite sure that he, emotionally blind as he might be, knew how she felt about him. His feelings for her, however... Well, she couldn't let herself truly believe that what Matt had said was true – that Becker had chosen her because of his feelings and not just because she'd been the one he'd been protecting when he'd first become infected.

As her thoughts started to turn maudlin, the arm around her waist tightened and drew her back against the solid warmth behind her. She felt his lips against the back of her neck, the hand that had been resting against her stomach moving against her skin in a gentle caress.

"You hungry?"

The question surprised her into forgetting that she'd planned on feigning sleep when he awoke. She covered his hand with hers when her stomach rumbled in answer. "I could eat something."

She felt more than saw him nod behind her, felt his lips brush her nape again. "Stay here. I'll see what's good."

He moved his arm from around her and slid out of the bed. She remained where she was, eyes fixed on the wall opposite her. She heard the rustle of material, then the sound of bare feet against the wooden floor and held herself still until the footsteps grew quieter. Once she was sure she was alone, she got out of bed, wincing a little at the achiness she felt.

She looked around the bedroom, feeling like an intruder no matter how intimately she now knew its owner. Spotting a folded t-shirt – black, of course – on the top of the dresser, she grabbed it and took it through to the en-suite bathroom with her.

After using the toilet, she stood in front of the mirror, surveying her reflection.

There were finger-shaped bruises on her hips and arms, a bite mark on her shoulder. She was surprised to find she didn't mind them; she just objected to the way they'd come to be on her skin. Not that it was Becker who'd put them there or what they'd done... but she knew how _he'd _react to them once the virus was truly out of his system and she hated the thought of the guilt he'd no doubt feel when he remembered.

It was that thought that hurt the most, Jess reflected. More than any bruises could. The knowledge that no matter what she felt about what they'd done, Becker was going to regret it.

She wasn't. Couldn't. No matter _how_ it had happened... She'd never thought it would.

Shaking her head, she broke eye contact with herself and slipped the t-shirt over her head. She inhaled deeply, the familiar scent of Becker both calming her and causing her stomach to flutter with apprehension.

Her eyes stung with tears she refused to let fall and she took a few moments longer to steady herself before leaving the sanctity of the bathroom.

* * *

The bedroom was still empty, and she could hear the clatter of cupboards being opened from the direction of the kitchen. Deciding to go to him instead of waiting for him to come back to her, Jess tugged at the hem of the t-shirt as she made her way through the flat.

She found him in the kitchen as expected, two plates on the counter as he rummaged in the fridge. She could smell the bread toasting and her stomach rumbled again in response, causing Becker to straighten and turn around to look at her.

If it wasn't for the glint in his eye and the easy curve of his lips, she might've been able to convince herself that he was back.

He wasn't.

Her Becker wouldn't be so comfortable with the situation. He wouldn't run his gaze over her t-shirt clad body and lick his lips. His eyes wouldn't darken and he wouldn't automatically take a step towards her, one hand outstretched.

Jess went willingly, accepting his kiss. She closed her eyes as his hands cupped her face, telling herself that she was supposed to be infected, too. She ignored the little guilty voice that told her she wasn't supposed to be enjoying it, given that Becker's actions weren't of his own will, and lifted her hands to rest against his bare chest.

She felt his hand against her thigh, fingers slipping underneath the material of his t-shirt but the toast finished before he could explore any further. Surprising her, he pulled away, turning to fix what passed as both their breakfast and a late lunch instead of continuing.

"You need to eat," he told her when he caught her staring, his voice stern. "You don't eat enough."

"I eat plenty," she protested, flushing when she remembered that the last thing she'd eaten had been half of his sandwich at the ARC.

She sat down on one of the stools at the counter, watched him butter the toast before he put it on one of the plates and pushed it towards her. Along with the toast, there were a few slices of ham, some cheese and some grapes. Jess waited until he joined her at the counter and started eating when she noticed he was watching her rather than eating himself.

Her mind whirled as she nibbled on the toast. The virus brought out the primal side of the human brain, she thought. It made those infected seek out their mate, probably with the intention of procreating. Thinking of how she'd spent her Friday night and the better part of her Saturday, Jess allowed herself a moment of relief that she was on the pill given that other means of contraception hadn't been at the forefront of either of their minds.

If Becker saw her as his mate, even if only while he was infected, it made sense that he was waiting until she'd eaten before starting to eat himself. As her mate and the alpha male, he'd see it as his responsibility to make sure she was well provided for.

Ruthlessly quashing the little voice that reminded her he did that even without the virus – he'd given her half of his lunch when he hadn't needed to before he'd been infected – Jess ate her meal in silence.

And only when she was finished did Becker start eating his.

Afterwards, she started towards the sink, intending to wash up their used dishes. She made it as far as putting the dishes down when he moved to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her as he tugged her against him.

She felt his body respond at their closeness, felt his hardness pressing against her. It didn't surprise her anymore, but her own response to him did. Maybe, Jess thought as she turned in the circle of his arms to lift her face for a kiss, there was some truth in the lie that she was infected, too.

* * *

They didn't make it back to the bedroom, not at first. Becker lifted her, spinning so he could set her down on the counter where they'd sat down to eat. He stood between her legs, one hand tangled in her hair, the other against resting against the curve of her behind underneath his t-shirt, pressing her forward, encouraging her to sit on the edge of the counter so he could get closer.

He groaned when he felt her hand slip under the waistband of his boxers, hips jerking of their own accord as she grasped him firmly before stroking her fingers along his length. He pulled her even closer, nipped at her bottom lip with his teeth before pulling his mouth away to nibble his way down her throat.

A sound of discontent escaped him when he encountered the barrier the material of the t-shirt presented but she stilled his hands before he could tear it away.

As Becker watched, his body growing more and more strained, Jess pulled the t-shirt off over her head, baring herself once again to his hungry gaze.

The part of his brain that was controlled by the virus looked at the marks on her body as being signs of ownership and rejoiced in them; the part that wasn't infected and was slowly becoming more and more aware of what was happening was appalled.

He'd hurt her. _Jess_. One of the people he'd sworn he would never, ever do anything to hurt and he'd marked her with his hands and his mouth.

Not that she seemed to mind, but he told himself that was because she was infected, too. She'd be mortified when the virus was out of her system, embarrassed maybe, possibly even betrayed...

He hated the thought that she would hate him afterwards, that she'd resent him, blame him. It didn't matter that she was the one who'd sought him out; he should have had more control than that. He should have sent her away.

But he hadn't. Couldn't.

Not then, and not now.

He pushed his boxers down and reached for her, groaning at the sensation of being joined with her again. He let his head drop forward, forehead resting against hers, sharing her breaths, as he let his hands rest lightly on her hips.

"Jess, I..."

"No." Jess lifted her head, her eyes locking with his. He expected to see something in them, some lingering remnant of the virus that had driven them both past the point of no return but was surprised to see nothing but clear blue eyes filled with the emotions he sometimes saw when Jess looked at him, before she could try and hide them away. "Don't say anything, Becker. No apologies, no regrets." She swallowed, a suspicious sheen covering her eyes before she could blink it away. "This isn't us. It isn't real."

It felt real to him but he wasn't going to argue with her. He leaned in to kiss her softly, trying to pour everything he felt for her into the kiss, hoping there was a small part of her that would recognise the small part of him that was fighting for control of the virus.

She kissed him back, fingers stroking through the hair at the back of his neck as she rocked her hips against his in wordless encouragement. Groaning into her mouth, he tightened his hold on her, never once breaking their kiss as he pressed against her, needing as much contact with her as he could get.

It was more than the virus, he knew, sliding a hand along her spine so he could cup the back of her head as he kissed her fiercely. He just hoped that when the virus was gone, Jess's feelings for him wouldn't go with it.

* * *

They slept for a solid six hours, wrapped up in one another in his bed. When Jess woke up again, it was to the pleasant sensation of Becker's mouth against her skin, kissing the marks he'd left earlier, as if trying to erase them with tender caresses and oh so sweet kisses.

Afterwards, her heart and her mind reeling with the somehow instinctive knowledge that there'd been something different about it, about him, Jess lay awake long after Becker had fallen asleep, her head resting against his chest above his heart.

When she was convinced he was sound asleep, she slid out from under his arm and stood beside the bed. In his sleep, Becker made a sound of protest and rolled over onto his stomach, clutching the pillow she'd been using to his chest. She bit her lip at the sight of the scratches on his back, visible reminders that she'd allowed herself to get a little too caught up in the lie at times, and turned away from him, stealing out of the bedroom room silently.

Her skirt was only just salvageable, so she put it on along with the t-shirt she'd left in the kitchen. Her torn blouse and underwear were a lost cause but she took them with her anyway, deciding that Becker didn't need any extra reminders about what they'd done.

Only once in her car did Jess let the tears that had been building run free as she drove herself home to an empty flat.

* * *

She dressed in her baggiest long sleeved shirt and comfiest jeans. Jess scrutinised her reflection in the mirror of her bedroom, making sure there were no marks or bruises on display. While Emily knew she'd gone to see Becker, she didn't want to give any hint of what had transpired to her two friends when they arrived on Sunday afternoon.

That was the plan, anyway.

As soon as she opened the door to find not only Emily but Abby, too, staring at her with curious, concerned expressions on their faces, she knew she wasn't going to be able to hide anything from them.

They listened intently to everything she said, both sympathetic though Abby was decidedly more understanding of her decision. Knowing Becker better than Emily, she agreed with Jess's opinion that to admit he'd been infected and be sedated in the medical bay for the duration of the weekend would have proved embarrassing for the soldier – and would give his men, fond as they were of their captain, plenty of fodder to tease him about.

"Won't they tease him if they found out about him and Jess?" Emily asked, half-way through a glass of chilled white wine. "I am sure there's already talk about Becker's feelings for you, Jess. Surely having people know what transpired between you this weekend..."

"Becker doesn't have feelings for me," Jess objected automatically, taking a big swig of her own wine to try and keep from remembering the way he'd been with her on their last time together. The attempt failed spectacularly and she felt her cheeks flood with heat but she shook herself mentally and continued the conversation. "And no one is going to find out about what happened. _No one_," she stressed, giving them both a pointed look.

Abby held her hands up in mock surrender. "No one's going to hear anything from us, and Matt's good at discretion."

"And Connor?" Jess asked, arching an eyebrow. As much as she loved Abby's fiancé, the scientist wasn't best known for his tact or subtlety.

"Connor doesn't know," Abby said with a shrug. "And he won't, until I'm sure he'll be able to keep it secret."

Jess gave her a small, grateful smile and took another sip of her wine. "Thank you." Suddenly, Abby set her wine glass down and fixed Jess with a pointed look. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just interesting that your first response to Emily's concerns was to deny Becker has feelings for you." Abby's eyes narrowed. "Surely you can't still believe that?"

"He's a colleague, and a friend." Jess shrugged a shoulder but suddenly became very interested in staring at the contents of her glass. "I'm not denying he cares about me. Just... not in that way."

Abby snorted indelicately while Emily almost choked on the wine she'd sipped. "You are still in denial?" The older woman of the three shook her head when Jess looked at her. "There is a reason it was you Becker needed to be with," Emily pointed out. "Just as there was a reason the others needed to be with their partners."

"Sergeant Harrison felt the need to be with me, too," Jess pointed out, her grip on the stem of her wine glass tightening. "Are you saying he's in love with me?"

"No. Sergeant Harrison probably has a crush on you, like half of the men at the ARC," Abby declared, rolling her eyes when Jess looked at her in embarrassed surprise and Emily nodded her agreement. "He was already in the early stages of infection when you bumped into each other and probably couldn't get you out of his head after that. Becker, however, didn't reach that stage of infection until after you were separated from what Emily's told me. In fact, you were in the medical bay on your own while Emily was with Becker and Matt, making sure that no one else was infected. If Becker was going to react to anyone for the same reasons as Sergeant Harrison, we wouldn't be having this conversation because he'd have either been sedated or still be fighting with Matt to get to Emily."

Jess shook her head. "That's not strictly true. If Becker was exposed to the virus when he was fighting with Harrison, I was the closest female in the vicinity. God, I practically threw myself at him after... after Harrison was taken away."

"The virus wouldn't have had any effect on him at that point," Emily pointed out sensibly. "From what we've been able to work out, Harrison was exposed midway through the nightshift, which means it took at least three hours for it to get to the stage where he needed to focus on one person in particular. Abby's right; three hours after Becker was infected, he was with me and Matt."

"But that doesn't... It doesn't mean he wanted..." Jess groaned and took another big gulp of her wine. "You're just trying to make me feel better. It's not going to work. Becker doesn't have those kind of feelings for me."

"Uh-huh." Abby and Emily exchanged a knowing look. "So he doesn't have romantic feelings for you in the slightest. Say for a moment I actually believed that – which I don't. You spent what, twenty four hours plus alone with him when he was juiced up on the finest aphrodisiac the prehistoric era has to offer. You don't think that's going to have some sort of effect on your relationship now?"

Jess bit her lip, her shoulders slumping. "I'm sure it's going to have an effect, and I'm sure it's probably not going to be a good one, but what else was I supposed to do? Let him go crazy? Let him die?"

Neither Abby or Emily could tell her that yes, she should have. While Emily was still of the opinion that Becker should have been sedated, they both knew that if it'd been Matt or Connor in Becker's position, they each would have made the same choice as Jess.

"What are you going to do when he finds out you weren't infected?" Emily asked quietly after a moment of silence. "And he _will_ find out. Doctor Fraiser has theorised that the virus doesn't affect women because of the differences in their genetic make up. It's going to be in her report to Lester, and Captain Becker will no doubt read it as part of his duties as Head of Security... He's going to know, Jess. And he'll want to know why you did it."

"I think it's probably obvious why I did it," Jess answered softly, "even to someone as emotionally oblivious as Becker." She shrugged when they both stared at her. "There's no point in denying it. If he asks, I'll tell him and then I'll ask him if we can forget all about it and put it behind us." A humourless smile graced her lips. "To be honest, it's pretty unlikely he _will_ ask. He'll figure it out and then not want to talk about it so we'll just pretend I was infected and go on as normal. After a little bit of awkwardness, probably. Maybe a lot of awkwardness." She finished her wine and set the glass own, staring down at her hands as she clasped them in her lap. "I don't regret it," she admitted quietly. "No matter what happens, I don't think I'll ever be able to regret it."

The two women exchanged a glance above her bowed head and, as if by silent agreement, they each set their own glasses aside and moved to sit either side of Jess on the sofa. Emily put her arm around Jess's shoulders while Abby took one of her hands in hers.

They sat in silence or a few moments, and then Abby squeezed Jess's hand to get her attention.

"I have to ask," the blond started, a mischievous smile on her face in an attempt at lightening the mood. "How was it? With Becker? As good as you imagined it would be?" Even as Emily protested that a lady didn't kiss and tell, Jess's face flushed a deep pink in colour and the younger woman bit her lip almost shyly. "That good?"

"Better," Jess confided after a short pause. "All of it. Even the wild and crazy parts of it." Her blush deepened as she remembered both their frenzied activities and their slower ones. "But that last time," she added with a wistful sigh, letting her head rest on Emily's shoulder as she squeezed Abby's hand. "It felt different. _Right_. I almost let myself believe it was him and not the virus, which is stupid, really. It couldn't have been."

"Maybe." Abby met Emily's gaze once again, an eyebrow arched in speculation. "I guess you'll only know for sure when you see him tomorrow."

Jess sighed, her shoulders tensing at the thought. "Tomorrow is definitely going to be interesting."

Probably humiliating, painful and upsetting, she added silently to herself. But definitely interesting.

* * *

_One more part, then we're done. _


	5. Chapter 5

_Last part! Thank you so much to those who've been reading it x_

* * *

Monday morning dawned far sooner that she would like it to. Jess reluctantly dragged herself out of bed when the alarm on her phone went off for a third time and stood in front of her wardrobe, debating what to wear, needing an outfit that wouldn't draw too much attention as being 'unJess-like' but one that would make sure everything that needed to be covered was.

One long-sleeved button up blouse and pencil-skirt later, she left her flat without having anything but a quick cup of coffee for breakfast, not sure she'd be able to keep anything else down as her stomach was churning too much with nervous anticipation.

When she got to the ARC and made it through the second security checkpoint without seeing any sign of Becker, she began to worry that maybe she'd left him too early. Maybe he'd still been under the virus's influence when she'd crept out of his flat, maybe...

No. She shook herself mentally as she stood in the lift and hit the button for the right floor. If he hadn't been safely out of the danger zone, he would have followed her to her flat. He would have known he'd be welcome... wouldn't he?

Lost in her thoughts, Jess didn't notice the person waiting for the lift to arrive when it reached her floor until she stepped out and almost walked into them. Looking up when she felt hands on her shoulders keeping her upright, her eyes widened in surprise to find a very sheepish, very embarrassed Sergeant Harrison standing in front of her.

Struggling to keep her voice calm – and to keep from instinctively looking around to see if there was anyone else in the vicinity – Jess forced a smile. "Good morning, Keith. Are you feeling better?"

"Much, yeah. Thank you." Harrison ran a hand through his hair, his posture tense and awkward. "I was just... Doc Fraiser just released me from the med bay but I'm off duty for the next week. I was going to look for you, actually. I hoped I'd get a chance to see you before I left."

"Oh?" She tried to keep her voice steady. "You were looking for me?"

"I wanted to apologise." Harrison let his hand drop to his side and met her gaze. "I would never hurt you, Jess. I never meant... If I could go back and change it, I would."

Her features softened into a genuine smile and Jess reached out to touch his arms. "It's okay, Keith. Really. You're not to blame for it. You weren't yourself; it was the virus."

"That's what I keep telling myself but it's gonna take a while for it to sink in, I think." His expression was troubled, his eyes shadowed. "But thank you for being understanding. And I'm sorry, again. Now if only I could find the Captain to apologise, I'd be on my way out of here."

Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of Becker but she tried to cover it with a smile. "I'm sure he'll forgive you for the fighting," she said instead, thinking that Becker couldn't possibly hold a grudge against the other man when he knew what it was like to be under the influence of the virus's thrall. "He might challenge you to a rematch, though," she added with forced cheer, "just to prove he can beat you when you're not hyped up on prehistoric viruses."

"He's never had any problem there," Harrison admitted with a wry grin. "But I should really apologise for that, and for making a move, if you could call it that, on his girl."

For a moment, Jess was going to ask who else he'd made a move on. And then she realised he meant her, and couldn't help the surprised laugh that bubbled out of her, cringing when she heard it and realised it sounded almost bitter. "I think you're safe on that score, Sergeant. I'm definitely not his girl."

She told herself she didn't sound disappointed but wasn't sure Harrison was convinced when he gave her a solemn look. "If you say so."

"I do." Jess started to move past him when movement out of the corner of her eye stopped her. She knew, even before turning to look, who was approaching by the way Harrison suddenly tensed and stood at attention. Fixing what she hoped was a convincing smile on her face, Jess turned to greet Becker as he covered the distance between them. "Morning, Becker. Keith was just looking for you so I'll leave you to it."

Becker's expression was unreadable, his eyes dark and searching when they locked with hers. "Jess, I need to speak to you."

"It can wait. Keith needs to see you first, before he goes." She turned back to Harrison before Becker could reply. "Enjoy your week off," she told him lightly, "and please, don't worry about it. You've got nothing to apologise for."

Harrison flashed a quick grin in her direction. "Thank you."

Giving him a wave, Jess skirted past Becker and hurried to the hub, knowing he wouldn't risk causing a scene.

* * *

He knew she was avoiding him and, at first, he couldn't blame her.

And then he read Doctor Fraiser's report.

Stalking through the corridors of the ARC, Becker didn't care about the curious glances he got on his way towards the hub. He was almost there when Matt appeared as if from nowhere, blocking his route.

"Get out of the way, Matt," Becker ordered gruffly, his eyes narrowed.

"Not until you hear what I have to say." Matt spoke casually, shrugging when Becker only glared at him. "I know."

"You know what?" Becker asked, distracted by thoughts of how he was going to get past the team leader.

Matt glanced along the corridor to check they were alone but lowered his voice anyway. "I know what Jess did."

Becker stared at him, gaping for a moment. Annoyance and anger flashed in his eyes and he grabbed Matt's arm roughly, dragging the other man into an empty room just off the corridor. "What do you mean 'you know'? Did you tell her?"

Pulling his arm free, Matt reminded himself that Becker was justified in his anger and moved to lean against one of the tables in the room. "She overheard me talking Emily out of sending a security team to retrieve you."

"Did you tell her what to do?" Becker's eyes flashed. "Damn it, Matt. She could have been hurt."

"I had nothing to do with what she did." Matt crossed his arms over his chest. "It was entirely Jess's decision, and I think we both know why she made it."

His jaw clenched, Becker began to pace the small room. "She shouldn't have done it. You shouldn't have let her."

"So we should've let you go crazy instead? Or maybe kept her at the ARC and waited until you were completely under the influence of the virus and came back looking for her?" Matt shook his head. "It was the best way, Becker. At least this way, you both had a choice."

"A choice?" Becker stopped pacing long enough to scowl. "You think either of us really had a choice in what we did?"

"Jess chose to go to you. To be honest, I don't think she actually thought it was her you'd, well, need." Matt shrugged when Becker only looked at him. "Look, let's cut to the chase. Jess went to you because she knew you wouldn't be able to admit you needed help. She decided to lie because even though she doubts you have the same kind of feelings for her, she knew it was the only way you'd let her help you."

"I. Hurt. Her." Becker spoke through gritted teeth, guilt and regret in his voice. "I was rough with her. Damn it, I swore I would never... I promised myself I would never hurt her."

"You'll hurt her more if you go and shout at her now." Matt held Becker's gaze and stood up straighter. "She's been avoiding you all day because she's scared, Becker. Not because she thinks you're going to hurt her physically, but because she thinks you're going to break her heart and tell her it meant nothing to you. That it was a mistake."

"It was a mistake," Becker bit out. "It wasn't supposed to happen that way."

"But you admit it was supposed to happen. Or would've done, eventually." A flicker of triumph flashed in Matt's eyes. "Just tell her. Tell her you regret that it happened the way it did but you don't regret that it did happen. You can't be angry with her, mate, when you know if the situation was reversed, you'd have done the same thing in a heartbeat."

Becker shook his head in denial. "I wouldn't have done that. I wouldn't have taken advantage..."

Matt's eyebrows shot up. "You think Jess took advantage of you?"

"No, but it's not the same..." Becker shook his head and ran a hand through his hair in obvious frustration. "She'd just been attacked, Matt. She was vulnerable..."

"It was her choice," Matt repeated firmly. "One she made because that girl is completely head over heels in love with you and knew how much you'd hate it if we sent out a team of your own men to drag you back here. Remember that when you go and see her, Becker. Remember that whatever you say or do the next time you see her could have an impact on the future of your relationship with her. Screw it up and you might not get a second chance."

With his advice issued, Matt strode out of the room, leaving Becker alone to brood and think about what he'd said.

When Becker had composed himself enough to go and see Jess, it was to find that she'd done the unthinkable and actually left on time for once. Admitting defeat, Becker headed for his truck. He made it halfway home before turning around, knowing from his experience the night before that there was no way he'd be able to sleep in the bed he'd shared with Jess without her in it.

* * *

Avoiding him had been surprisingly easy. Of course, it helped that she was the Field Co-ordinator and had passed along several requests for information that only the Head of Security could provide, keeping Becker busy until late afternoon.

Once she was safely behind the locked door of her flat, Jess let herself relax. She made it to the stairs leading up to her bedroom and bathroom, planning on taking a long, hot bath to soothe her nerves before indulging in a Chinese takeaway from the place around the corner, when she heard the determined knock on the front door.

Swallowing hard, she spun on her heel and walked to the entryway. She stood at the top of the three small steps leading down to the door, biting her lip as the knocking sounded again.

"I know you're there, Jess. I saw your car outside." Hearing Becker's voice wasn't a huge surprise to her, but she told herself it was surprise and nothing else that caused her heart to speed up. He knocked again, the gesture sounding impatient. "You're not the only one who can pick locks, you know."

Gaping at the door, her face flushing with the thought that if he remembered that little aspect of their time together, there was no way she could still cling to the thin hope she was holding that he wouldn't remember all of the other details, too. She slowly took one step down, still standing two steps above the entryway, when she heard the click of the lock as he made good on his threat.

The door swung open and she froze, staring at him through wide eyes as he let himself into her flat and kicked the door shut behind him.

The expression in his eyes surprised her. There was heat, yes, but not anger. Determination, but also a glimmer of nerves.

Before she could ask what he had to feel nervous about, Becker covered the gap between them and took advantage of her being just that little bit higher up than him, taking her face in his hands and holding her still as he kissed her.

Softly. Sweetly. Tentatively. As if he expected her to push him away.

Knowing she could never do that, Jess lifted her arms to rest her hands on his shoulders and kissed him back, letting her eyes slide shut even as a tear slid down her cheek.

Breaking the kiss abruptly, Becker let his forehead rest against hers, his hands moving to her waist to hold her steady. "I'm sorry," he murmured, his own eyes closed. "I'm so sorry I hurt you."

"You didn't." When she heard him huff in disagreement, Jess opened her eyes and pulled back enough to look at him. "No more than I hurt you," she added, cheeks flushing again at the thought of the scratches she knew marred the smooth skin of his back. "I'm sorry I lied to you. But I knew it was the only way you'd let me help and Matt said..." Her blush deepened and she pulled away, suddenly feeling self conscious. "Um. Why are you here? You're not still...?"

"No. No, I'm fine." A little awkwardly, Becker let one of his hands fall from her waist to his side, lifting the other to run a hand through his hair. "Why did you do it, Jess? Why did you take the risk?"

Jess opened her mouth to speak but closed it without answering. She turned away from him instead, walking up the step into the main part of her flat. "Would you like a drink?"

"No, I'd like an answer." He followed her, walking up behind her as she stood at the counter, staring at the kettle. He put his arms either side of her, effectively trapping her but knowing he'd take a step back the moment she looked uncomfortable – or scared. "Please, Jess. I need to know."

"You already do." Her voice was quiet, her shoulders slumped. "What reason could I possibly have for doing what I did instead of reporting you to Lester?"

"I need to hear you say it."

"Why?" Her voice developed an edge, and Jess turned in the circle of his arms to stare up at him, blue eyes narrowed as she searched his face. "I think I've always worn my heart on my sleeve where you're concerned. You can't tell me you don't know."

"There's a different between hoping for something and knowing it for certain."

"Hoping?"

"Please, Jess." He shifted so he could lean his forehead against hers.

Closing her eyes, Jess exhaled on a shaky sigh. "I did it because I love you. Because I'm in love with you. And I know you don't feel the same way, and it could have been anyone and I was just convenient or it's because I was the nearest one to you when you were infected but that doesn't mean I'd do it any differently if we were in this situation again and I could..."

The press of his lips against hers, and the way he slid a hand into her hair to support her head as he deepened the kiss made her gasp and lift her hands to cling to him. It was nothing like the kisses they'd shared over the weekend they'd spent together, which had been passionate and desperate and driven by physical need and lust. It was almost... _loving_?

"It couldn't have been anyone else, Jessica," he murmured against her lips as the kiss came to a natural end. "It could only be you. It will always only be you." Pushing the hair back from her face, Becker pulled back to gaze at her. He inhaled slowly, as if steeling himself for saying the words she needed to hear. "I love you, Jess Parker."

"Really?" She couldn't stop herself, the disbelieving question popped out before she could stop it, accompanied by a blush as she bit her lip and looked up at him.

Becker grinned, relaxing now the words were out in the open between them. "Really." He cupped her cheek, kissed her again. "I'm just so sorry..." His hand moved so he could put his finger over her lips when she started to protest. "That it had to happen that way. It should've been different. I should've taken you to dinner, wined and dined you. Bought you flowers and chocolates."

Jess smiled at him, lifting her hand to take hold of his. "You can always take me to dinner now. Well, maybe not now, exactly, but soon."

Something akin to disappointment flashed in his eyes. "You have plans for tonight?"

Thinking of the bath and the takeaway she'd planned on having, Jess looped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. "Nothing that can't be adapted for two."

* * *

_End._


End file.
